Cartons for packaging fruit, vegetables, and the like



March 13, 1956 K. T. BUTTERY CARTONS FOR PACKAGING FRUIT, VEGETABLES AND THE LIKE Filed June 29, 1953 CARTONS FOR PACKAGING FRUIT, VEGETABLES, AND THE LIKE Kennethv T. Buttery, Kalamazoo, Mich., assignor to Sutherland PaperCompany, Kalamazoo, Mich.

Application June 29, 1953, Serial No. 364,567 Claims. (Cl. 206-45.34)

This invention relates to cartons for packaging fruit, vegetables and the like.

The main objects of this invention are:

First, to provide a collapsible package or carton which may be filled in an inverted position and at the same time has a transparent top or closure member permitting the contents being rounded or crowned.

Second, to provide a carton having these advantages formed of an integral blank and in which the transparent top or closure member maybe adhesively secured to the side Walls with the blank in the flat or extended position and one in which when the walls are swung to erected position results in giving the top or closure member substantial slack. v

Third, to provide a carton having these advantages which may be economically produced and easily adjusted for filling. v

Objects relating to details andeconomies of the invention will appear from the description to follow. The invention is defined and pointed out in the claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side' elevational View of a filled carton embodying my invention, the contents being conventionally illustrated.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on a line corresponding to line 2 2 of Fig. l. v

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the carton in the flat. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating certain details of the carton and relation of certain parts in the erecting of the carton.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view with parts being shown in full lines on a line corresponding to 5-5 of Fig. 3 and parts being shown in erected position by dotted lines. v

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view on a line corresponding to line 6-6 of Fig. 2. Y

The embodiment of my invention illustrated is especially designed for packaging berries or other small fruits and vegetables such as mushrooms, brussel sprouts, fresh beans and the like.

Generally considered the carton is of the type shown in the Rutledge Patent 2,110,681, issued March 8, 1938. The applicants carton is designed to be packed or filled in an inverted position and this may be done in a manner similar to the carton of the Rutledge patent.

The embodiment of my invention illustrated comprises a body or wall portion formed of an integral cut and scored blank of paperboard and a flexibletransparent top closure member of cellophane or other exible transparent material. t

The body member comprises downwardly tapered side walls 1, 2, 3 and 4 connected to each other through the corner members 5, the corner members being hingedly connected to the side edges of the side walls by the hinging scores 7 and 8. The corner members are notched at 9 and diagonally scored at 10 for folding. The hinging y* United States Patent@ 2,738,057 Patented Mar. 13, 1956 connections 8 are slit at 81 to weaken or render the hinging connections 8 less springable than the hinging connections 7. This results in the folded corner members lying against the inner sides of the opposed walls 1 and 2.

The walls 1 and 2 have bottom members 10 and 11 hingedly secured thereto at 12. The walls 3 and 4 have bottom members 13 and 14 respectively hingedly secured thereto at 15. The bottom member 11 has a slit 16 adapted to receive the locking tongue 17 on the bottom member 10. The bottom members 13 and 14 have interlocking tongues 18. The bottom members are in effect complementary.

The flexible transparent top member 19 is of such dimensions as to extend across the top of the carton and lap onto the inner sides of the side walls to which it is secured by bands of adhesive 20 which are substantially spaced downwardly from the edges 21 of the top.

In assembling the body mmeber and the top member the adhesive is applied to the body member while it is extended, as indicated at 20, and the top member positioned thereon. The relation of the top member to the wall 4` of the carton and the adhesive 20 is illustrated in Fig. 5.

It will be understood that no attempt has been made to show the relative thickness of the top member in Fig. 5 or in other figures.

When the walls are swung to erected position, as shown in Fig. 2 and by dotted lines in Fig. 5, the points of attachment for the top member to the walls is swung inwardly providing slack in the top member, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 5. This permits the material packed, indicated conventionally at Z2, in Figs. l and 2, to be rounded up or crowned and the flexible top closure member to conform thereto.

In the embodiment illustrated the upper edges 21 of the walls are downwardly curved from the ends of the edges which further adds to the appearance of fullness of the box or carton.

' When the carton is erected the top or closure member will conform to or fold around the corner flaps 5 as is indicated at 23 in Fig. 4. The corner members illustrated are highly desirable but other forms may be used, such for example, as shown in the Rutledge Patent 2,110,681'referred to. My invention may be embodied in a non-tapered box or carton such, for example, as shown in Fig. 9 of the Rutledge patent and in elongated and other shapes.

l have illustrated and described my invention in a highly practical embodiment thereof. I have not attempted to illustrate or describe other 4adaptations or embodiments which I contemplate, as I believe this disclosure will enable those skilled in the art to embody or adapt my invention as may be desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A collapsible carton comprising a body member including side Walls, corner members continuous with and hingedly connected to the end edges of adjacent side walls and diagronally scored for folding with the side walls, the hinging connections of the corner members to an opposed pair of side walls being relatively weaker as compared to the hinging connection to the other opposed pair of side walls thereby facilitating folding of the corner member against inner sides of the side walls to which they have such relatively weaker connections, the upper edges of the side walls defining a top opening, said body member being formed of an integral cut and scored blank of ICC relatively stiff stock, and a relatively flexible transparent p secured to the inner sides of the side walls in substantially spaced relation to the upper edges whereby the side walls'have portions of substantial width extending above the zone of attachment of the top member thereto, the top member-being free to flex inwardly of theside Walls above its zones of attachment thereto, said side walls .being disposed in an approximately commonplane when the carton is collapsed, and said top member beingdisposed in a plane approximately parallel to the side walls .when the carton is collapsed whereby when thewalls are erected the top member is slack and capable of conforming to contents in the carton projecting above the plane'of the upper edges of the side walls.

2. A collapsible carton comprising a body memberincluding side walls, corner members hingedlytconnected to the end edges of adjacent side walls, the upperedges of the side walls defining a top opening, said body member being formed of an integral cut and scored blank ot'relatively'stit stock, and a relatively exible transparent top member constituting the entire top of the carton and having its edge portions secured to the inner sides of the side walls in `substantially spaced relation to the upper edges whereby the sidewalls have portions of substantial width extending above the zone of attachment of thetop member thereto, the top member being free to Hex inwardly of the side walls above its zones of attachment thereto, said side walls being disposed in an approximately common plane when the carton is collapsed, and said top member being disposed in a plane approximately parallel to the side walls when the carton is collapsed whereby when the Walls are erected the top member is slack and capable of conforming to contents in the carton projecting above the plane of the upper edges of the side walls.

3. A collapsible carton comrising a body member including side walls, and corner members connecting the side walls, the upper edges of the side walls deiining a top opening, said body member being formed of relatively stili stock, and a relatively liexible transparent top member constituting the entire top of the carton and having its edge portions fixedly secured to the inner sides of the side walls in substantially spaced relation to the upper edges, the side walls having portions of substantial width extending above the zone of attachment of the top member thereto, the top member being free to ex inwardly of the side walls above its zones of attachment thereto, said side walls being in an approximately common plane when the carton is collapsed, and said top member being taut when the walls are collapsed and slack when the walls are erected and capable of conforming to the surface of the contents of the carton.

4. A collapsible carton comprising a body member including, side walls, connecting corner members therefor, bottom members hingedly connected to the bottom edges of the side walls, said body member being formed of an integral cut and scored blank of relatively stiff stock, and a top member of relatively thin exible stock having its edge portions ixedly secured to the inner sides of the side walls below and in substantially spaced relation to the upper edges thereof, said top member being substantially taut when the carton is collapsed, the zones of connection for its edges to the side walls being suiciently spaced from the upper edges of the side walls so that the top member is slack when the side Walls are in erected position and conformable to contents of the carton projecting above the plane of the zones of the top member attachmentto the carton walls.

5. A collapsible carton comprising a body member including, side walls and connecting corner members of relatively stit stock, the upper edges of the side walls dening atop opening and a top, member of relatively thin and flexible stock having its edge portions iixedly secured to the inner sides of the side walls below and in substantially spaced relation to the upper edges thereof to close said top opening, saidtop member being substantially taut when the carton walls are collapsed, the zones of connection for the edges of the top member to the side walls being spaced from the upper edges of the side walls so that the top member is slack when the side walls are in erected position and conformable to contents of the carton projecting above the plane of the zones of the top member attachment to the carton walls.

References Cited inthe le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,699,008 Miller Jan. 15, 1929 1,738,779 Lockwood Dec. 10, 1929 1,987,491 Nejelski Jan. 8, 1935 2,031,111 Kondolf Feb. 18, 1936 2,131,376 Hunt et al. Sept. 27, 1938 2,147,135 Addis et al. Feb. 14, 1939 ,2,260,230 Olson Oct. 21, 1941 2,372,312 Buttery Mar. 27, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS 553,992 Great Britain June 15, 1943 

